Drone spotted 30 metres from plane at Auckland Airport
28 Apr, 2021 08:15 AM
4 minutes to read
The drone sighting sparked incoming flight delays. Photo / 123rf
NZ Herald
Flights were suspended temporarily at Auckland Airport last night causing some international and domestic arrival delays after a drone was spotted by a pilot.
A Barrier Air flight pilot saw the drone at 5pm, reporting it came within around 30m of the aircraft.
Read More This temporarily delayed domestic and international arrivals. Normal operations resumed at 5.45pm.
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There have been 21 drone incursions reported in controlled airspace in the year to date. These are events where a drone is flying without authorisation in controlled airspace and is close enough to an aircraft or airfield to be spotted by pilots, air traffic controllers or members of the public.
Flight fears: Plane pilots say concerns over aircraft laser strikes going unheard
23 Apr, 2021 02:04 AM
4 minutes to read
Pilots concerns are growing about laser strike and drone incidents. Photo / Tania Whyte
Pilots grave concerns about aircraft laser strikes are going unheard by the relevant authorities as incidents mount.
That s according to New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association spokesperson Captain Tim Robinson who says his demands to ban high-powered lasers have been falling on deaf ears . I don t want to put words in their mouth but they obviously doesn t think the risk is great enough and we certainly do, Robinson said. We would hate to see a fatal accident, especially from a medium to large-size commercial airliner, because these lasers continue to illuminate aircraft.
The pilot alerted Air Traffic Control and the plane landed without incident about 8.20pm. The Civil Aviation Authority have been approached by
Stuff for comment. Offenders face up to three months in prison or a fine up to $2000 if convicted of possession of a high-powered laser or up to 14 years in jail if convicted under the Crimes Act for endangering transport. In 2016, then New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association president Tim Robinson said the laser beams could completely blind pilots at critical stages of flying.
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A laser being pointed at a plane could be incredibly disorienting for a pilot, Robinson said. (File photo)
But while pilots and flight attendants say the huge amount of time in isolation puts a strain on them, the real difficulty is being made to feel unwelcome when they get back home. Dave Church has been flying for Air New Zealand for 27 years. The 787 captain says the last year has been pretty miserable for pilots.
Newsroom
New Zealand air line pilots association president Andrew Ridling says long-haul pilots have spent the last year locked in hotel rooms. “There’s been a lot of job losses, and some of those who kept their jobs have been down-trained,” he said. So it hasn’t just been a case of immediate financial impact – some pilots have found themselves down a rung on the career ladder, affecting their long-term job prospects.